Friday, May 21, 2010

Canadian Political Landscape: Whack-A-Mole 101

It is very interesting how the mainstream media ignore the facts in plain sight for their agenda and "gotcha" journalism. Is delivery of Healthcare a provincial, municipal file? Many of us saw this gotcha journalism unfold in the fall of 2008, the hysteria driven media campaign in painting the Federal Government as incompetent, uncaring during the H1N1 outbreak. The Federal government has a smaller advisory role as a result of substantial cutbacks in the 1990's and the Constitutional Division of Powers. Historically Quebec and Alberta have been allies in keeping the Federal Government out of its jurisdiction. The culture war has initiated a divisive debate in parliament on tax funded abortions has been on the National Agenda by the Liberals with full support of the Democrats and Separatists. Why now, is it because the Federal Government wants to restore accountability of the G8 through cost effective life saving programs and policies in Maternal Health?

If the Liberals, Democrats, Separatists were worried about this provinces funding abortions should they not be attacking the governments that have delisted the service in Canada first?

Indeed, the government of the day apparently did not intend for abortion to become an insured service: when asked if Section 251 would require provincial health plans to pay for abortions, the then Minister of Justice John Turner exclaimed, “Oh no.”(2) Provincial health plans did, however, insure “therapeutic” abortions that were approved by hospital committees in order not to risk contravening the Canada Health Act’s Requirment that all “medically necessary services” be covered. -Hansard April 28, 1969

In 1989 the federal government under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney introduced Bill C-43 as a compromise on the abortion question. It failed to pass and left Canada without any law regulating abortion. When the legislation failed, then Justice Minister Kim Campbell said that it would be up to each provincial government “to draw a distinction between abortions which are medically necessary and those which are not, and to fund only those which are medically necessary, drawing on their own criteria.”(6) 1996 Backgrounder on Public Funding For Abortion.

Justice Minister Campbell confirmed that the reasons for pro-life groups opposing Bill C-43 were entirely justified. The government is completely hypocritical when it says the bill strikes a balance between the rights of the woman and the rights of the unborn. Mrs. Campbell made it perfectly clear that the baby has no protection at all: abortion does not have to be performed for a serious reason. The government deliberately left the definition of health vague; there are no possible grounds for accusing a doctor of performing an abortion for insufficient reasons. There are grounds, in other words, for taking the life of the unborn child into account at all. -The Interim May 31, 1990.

No Abortions on P.E.I. Soil, says Premier- July 2008

Despite criticisms from pro-abortion organizations, the Chronicle Herald has reported that Premier Robert Ghiz has maintained that he has no plans of re-addressing the province's policy on abortion because of its "controversial" nature.

Abortions in Canada are provided on request and funded by Medicare, to Canadian citizens and permanent residents (as with most medical procedures) in hospitals across the country. Abortion funding for hospitals comes from the various provincial governments (their overall health expenses are however paid for in part by the federal government). One-third of hospitals perform abortions, and these perform two-thirds of abortions in the country. The remaining abortions are performed by public and private-for-profit clinics.

Janet Bagnall is an editorial writer and columnist with The Gazette. Her column appears Fridays, commenting on issues of social justice and human rights.

Pope on the ropes-If crimes have been committed, there must be an accounting. And if it takes the arrest of Benedict as the head of the church, so be it.

Janet writes in the Gazette the following:

It took a while for Canada's abortion opponents to seize the opportunity Stephen Harper opened up..

Suggests an impressive large number of people showed up for March For Life Rally in Ottawa, a few weeks after funding abortions for the Congo is not the highest priority by Harper.

According to the federal Liberals, the Harper government has cut funding to about 20 women's-rights groups. The government's decision to not include abortion in maternal health care abroad is seen as being of a piece with these cutbacks.

The Conservatives' promise not to fund abortion services to poor women in Third World countries was a signal to its supporters..

As a move, it was cynical, clever, and unfortunately for the government, painfully transparent.

In fact, abortions in every age category in Canada have dropped, from an average ratio of 32 abortions per 100 live births in 2002 to 25.7 in 2006. There were 91,000 abortions performed in Canada in 2006, an estimated 90 per cent in the first trimester.

There are no abortion services in Prince Edward Island. Prince Edward Island women - or those who can afford to - travel to New Brunswick to get an abortion. Rural women in general must travel, sometimes long distances, to have an abortion. But they can still get a safe, legal abortion.

Janet when you did your research, did you pick a specific date on purpose?

Between 1988 and 2005, almost two million babies lost their lives to abortion. The recorded total from Statistics Canada is 1,811,707, a partial record which excludes roughly 10% of the actual number of abortions performed between 2000 and 2005, due to incomplete reporting. After 1997 the number of reported abortions gradually dropped back down to 96,815 in 2005. Because the 1988 court decision also struck down reporting requirements, it is difficult to know how accurate the figures are.

Let's give Janet the benefit of doubt after all we don't have proof you are cynical or clever in selecting her date range, it might have been accidental ommission.

The position of the Catholic Church is abortion is consistent. They are old school Janet, nothing has changed.

This government has been reviewing, making priorities that affect funding of advocacy groups as have previous governments in the past. Do you think it is reasonable to expect NGO's obtain funding indefinately, If not why suggest the defunding is ideologically driven without conclusive proof or reference of opposition political parties opinions the proof?

I understand Jean Chretien also had an interesting take on Proof. Did you subscribe to the same school of logic?

There is no acknowledgment of strongly dissenting civil society and southern government views on the efficacy of these policies to contribute to poverty-reducing paths to development. New approaches arising from the donor consensus remain linked to conditionalities and pressure for trade and investment liberalization as well as to strict accountability regimes to donor-prescribed policies of privatization, good governance etc.

My last observation on those poor rural women in PEI having to travel long distances. Are you kidding me!

Having traveled throughout many provinces Prince Edward Island. is not only the smallest province but with the addition of the Confederation Bridge your statement of far is just plain silly. I used Charlottetown as the starting point.

Driving directions to Morgentaler Clinic at Fredericton, New Brunswick 334 km – about 4 hours 5 mins. Halifax, Nova Scotia is same time. A few more minutes I found the service available in Moncton, New Brunswick 127 min 165 km.

Janet fees are around $ 600 - $ 800 and available in 130 minutes 165 kilometers. Is this long distance? Should we regulate 30 minutes or free next?

Will the Quebec Liberal Premier Jean Charest ask for a boycott in the National Assembly against PEI potatoes until the Liberal Premier allows tax funded abortions?

I get it, Quebec Liberal Premier is having some problems at home regarding corruption and beating up on the Prime Minister makes sense. It is a pity Janet you, the Gazette can't remove those rose coloured glasses long enough to see your own hypocrisy.

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